Verizon Wireless selects Good for enterprise messaging

Good Technology has landed a deal with Verizon Wireless to support advanced voice and messaging capabilities for PalmOne Treo 600, giving its fourth major carrier contract in the U.S.

It’s GoodLink messaging platform provides real-time access to Microsoft Exchange-based e-mail, contacts, calendar and other data functions and is geared directly at enterprise users. Though the company has targeted enterprise customers directly through numerous value-added resale channels, the software vendor began contracting directly with carriers hungry for enterprise business last year when it signed its first deal with Cingular Wireless. The deal incorporated the technology over Cingular’s data-centric Mobitex network, but since then, Good has landed cellular network deals with AT&T Wireless (since acquired by Cingular), Sprint, T-Mobile and now Verizon Wireless and has added numerous supported wireless devices to its portfolio.

Good Technology and a handful of other software vendors—most notably Seven—have begun taking a standards-based approach to mobile email and messaging, challenging the traditional model of a proprietary system established by Research in Motion’s BlackBerry platform. GoodLink has optimized its platform for higher-end smartphones and connected PDAs and created an interface emulating that of the typical Microsoft Outlook desktop, hoping to capture the loyalty of the mobility focused enterprise community.

Currently, Good supports both the PalmSource and Microsoft Mobile platforms. Last month it announced a partnership with Nokia to develop its platform for Nokia’s Symbian-based Series 60 and Series 80 devices.